Kayakas!

Whose power is it anyway? Greenpeace’s short film (narrated by Clive Anderson) shows how to win back the 2/3 of the energy our plants blow up the stack…

Israel’s bombings unleash a devastating oil spill in Lebanon…

The small but growing family of diesel motorcycles gets a new member…

aGaiN NYC launches a collection of environmentally and socially conscious accessories…

A London band manager has an epiphany at the hairdresser and commits to right his eco-wrongs by rallying support to plant a forest…

With gas prices heading for the statosphere (with no signs of coming down), Volkswagen is hoping that it”s newest fuel-sipper will appeal to people wanting hybrid-like efficiency at a fraction of the price. The Polo Blue Motion, unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show back in February, gets about 62 mpg; while this isn”t quite as breathtaking as some of the concepts we”ve seen (like the 157 mpg Loremo), it”s available for sale now (in Germany). Perhaps the most appealing part of VW”s new equation: the bottom line checks in at a shade under $20,000. According to Edmunds.com, this means that “hybrids may be in the limelight right now, but conventional diesels still hold the upper hand when the right measures are applied.” With low-sulphur diesel coming to the States, we might be pumping biodiesel into one of these babies sooner rather than later. ::Edmunds.com via ::Jalopnik

Awhile back, we brought you the story of the 100 Days of Carbon Clean-up Campaign. The program is helping over 400 British companies look at ways to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. It began early in June,

Amidst a heatwave in their respective lands, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger are meeting today in Long Beach, Calif., to discuss global warming and lay the groundwork for a new trans-Atlantic carbon emissions market, according to the Associated Press. Notably missing from the meeting will be President Bush and his top environmental adviser, James Connaughton, who cannot attend due to a scheduling conflict. Those whose schedules apparently don’t conflict include 25 leading CEOs, such as Lord John Browne of BP, Steve Howard of the Climate Group, Charles Holliday of DuPont Co., Jim Rogers of Duke Energy Corp., and Virgin’s Richard Branson (see our recent post here). The meeting will also focus on technologies being developed on both sides of the pond that might contribute to reducing emissions.

The folks at Palm World Voices are offering up to one lucky reader four of their superb DVDs that explore “contemporary music and culture from musically rich areas of the globe.”

The Mediterranean is an olive-lover’s paradise. From the tangy Greek Kalamata pickled in red wine brine to the working man’s bitter “marim defukim” smashed olives grown in Israel- olives and their oil are a must in every modern kitchen.

An interesting column written by Argentinean architect Carlos Libedinsky, former head of the Ecology subject at the most prestigious Architecture College in Argentina and now head of a Master in Advanced Design, appeared in the country’s most read newspaper: Clarín. “It’s amazing that environmental subjects are optional for Architecture students, probably the main contaminators of the planet in the future -he writes-. David Cameron (candidate running for Prime Minister in England) has based his political platform on the environment defense; in the United States Al Gore is making a strong statement through An inconvenient truth; and our own president (Nestor Kirchner) is preparing himself to be the leader of Environmental Politics in Latin America*. All these symptoms show that the subject has started to be assumed massively (also seen as a smart way to gain votes), and yet from the teaching point of view, Architecture (which produces edification: the main protagonist of global warming) doesn’t have in most cases a position that’s stronger than just a declamatory and cosmetic pose”. “The Economist registers that the most prestigious universities’ students claim for more information and education in Sustainable Architecture”, continues Libedinsky. “But the only credit for certain projects that are so called by authors and critics environmental is that they incorporate a garden in their interior or a solar panel, that’s more symbolic than effective, in their roof”, he claims. The architect also says “some of the so called intelligent buildings that come up are usually environmentally dumb, since they consume energy in reaction to small climate changes that could be easily fixed by opening a window”.

Throughout the United States, more and more utility customers are choosing to purchase green power, even though it comes at a premium. An AP article in Sunday”s Washington Post focuses on Minnesota, and notes that 30% more of the state”s residents this year are willing to pay extra for electricity that comes from renewable sources:

The New York Times asked Maine fishing guide Stephen Philbrick, who usually mainlines Deep Woods Off!, to test DEET free alternatives. All Terrain Herbal Armor Spray seemed to win-“deerflies, mosquitoes, everything, stayed away.” although it smelled so bad that it repelled people as well. Others, such as Burt”s Bees repellent, were less effective. Bite Blocker Herbal Spray did not do well- billed as waterproof and sweatproof, it wasn’t- Mr. Philbrick said. “If you sweat, bugs will find that spot where the product has dripped off.”::New York Times